Where did the past seven weeks go? I can’t believe that tomorrow I’m back on a ferry, waving goodbye to Koh Tao again. However, I have a suspicion the next seventeen days traveling around Thailand are going to fly by. I am really looking forward to the trip ahead, which is going to be filled with friends, favorite old destinations and one very highly anticipated festival. There’s something special about the exotic becoming the familiar, and that’s very much how I feel now — like Koh Tao is home, and I’m taking off on another road trip around my big beloved backyard that is Thailand.

And um, no, those aren’t sentimental tears you guys! I just had some salt water in my eyes from the ocean!

It’s been a beautiful week here on Koh Tao, with moody storms, gorgeous drives through the jungle, more sunset paddleboard sessions, live music at treehouse rasta bars, and one stunningly technicolor beach day.

Photo A

Visiting a friend’s house up in the hills — love how small my girl Anna looks in the big jungle

So jealous you’ll be in my old hood, give Chiangers and Pai a big hug and kiss for me. Eat at the Swan in CM if you haven’t, it’s the most amazing Burmese fusion restaurant and by far my favorite in the city. xxLeah recently posted..Friday Snapshots: Beach Scenes in Bocas del Toro, Panama

Can’t say I’ve ever heard of a leather workshop, excited to hear what that involves!? I haven’t written much on CM since the blog came about after the fact…is it weird to write retro posts? Cause I think I want to eventually!

I truly enjoy all of your posts, accompanied by your professional-level photography. But it is a little disheartening to see that almost everyone who comments on your blog is another professional who’s trying to promote his/her blog. There’s got to be a way to elicit more comments from the amateurs who are not in “the biz.” I’d much rather hear from someone who’s visited a place you’ve been and has things to add or to disagree with, rather than the “Rah rah!” you get from your fellow professionals.

I’d love to hear from those people too! It’s something I’ve thought a lot about, read a lot about, and discussed quite a bit with my peers. Unfortunately, non-bloggers are just much less likely to comment — they might not be used to the blogging format, or might be shy, or just might not be interested in sharing their thoughts publicly. Sometimes I get comments from people who say they’ve been reading loyally for years, and were only just inspired to comment for the first time! These are the people I often get emails from instead. I do encourage them, in my responses, to chime in any time in the comments 🙂

Interesting remark. I’m a non-blogging reader and I’m sure there are many of us 😉
I just stumbled upon this fabulous blog a week ago, and I felt a strong desire to write a positive comment. But scrolling down other posts made me wonder if it was still relevant or “necessary” to comment if there werere already 100 comments (which is a compliment of course). I’ve never been to Thailand before and I’m more a kind of India-expert, but now I feel inspired to check out South-East Asia, and I promise I’ll share my experiences 😉
Fantastic photos and writing Alex!

I'm a New York native who left my home to explore the world slowly and thoroughly. I’m just a little obsessed with photography, scuba diving, and reading guidebooks to countries I have no immediate plans to visit.